Vibratory aligner



1940- H. s. ORTH ET AL v 5,

VIBRATORY ALIGNER Filed Nov. 26, 1957 13 16 1TH 12 j :26

1%wardS Or 71,

Patented Jan. 9

Howard S.

Orth, Clair R. berst,':and William .E.

.Cramer, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to Industrial Ceramic Products Inc., Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 26, 1937, $er'ial No. 176,673

3 Claims.

This invention relates to vibratory transfer apparatus and has particular reference to an improved vibratory table by. which materialsare advanced longitudinally of the table and while arranged in a predetermined or desired order.

In a companion application, executed of even date herewith, we have set forth and claimed a method of handling sagger pins of-the type -em 1 ployed in the firing of ceramic ware in kilns, wherein such pins, withdrawn from a disorderly mass, are aligned and grouped so that they may be stacked in orderly rows in shipping cartons or containers. The present invention has to do particularly with the construction of a vibratory table used in said process for effecting the lon-. gitudinal alignment and parallel order of sagger pins following manufacture thereof and preparatory to their packagingr It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus of an improved automatic type by which the sagger pins deposited'is an unorganized manner on the apparatus may be automat-- ically handled so that said pins, upon discharge from the apparatus, will be disposed in longitudinally aligned parallel order and adapted for packaging operations. 7

For a further understanding of the invention,

reference is -to be had to theffollowing descrip 30, tion and the accompanying drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of the vibratory table comprising the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken through the table on the plane indicated by the line IIII of Fig. 1 and disclosing more particularly the upstanding ribs and side walls of the table which provide the longitudinally extending pin arranged Ways;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the pin receiver at the discharge end of the table, the plane of the figure being indi-' cated by the line III-III of Figll;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the table, disclos- 43 ing its operation of effecting longitudinal posiundergoing such advancement are automatically The supporting and vibrating mechanism for the table is a well known construction, and consists, in this instance, of a plurality of flat, parallel, leaf springs 3. Thesesprings are secured at their lower ends, as at 4, to a suitable stationary base 5, while the upper ends of said springs are clamped or otherwise firmly secured, as at 6, to lugs or enlargements .1 formed with the under side'of 7 the table 2. Mounted on the base 5 is a motor cradle ii which effects the support of an electric vibratingmotor 9. This motor is energizedprefe'rably by the use of alternating current, in an intermittent manner in order to attractga table mounted armature It) toward the pole or poles of the motor. When the motor is momentarily deenergized, the table returns to its" normal position'under the'return flexing of the springfs'3. Inasmuch-as this construction does not form a claimed part of the present invention, a further detailed description thereof will be accordingly omitted. The present invention is particularly directed to the construction of the table 2. In this in-' stance, the table is formed from metal and comprises a, substantially flat, bottom i2, vertically upstanding, parallel, longitudinally extending sidewalls it-l3, an end Wall I4 at the material receiving end of the table, and an open discharge end. .To render the table adaptable-for the purpose of 'efiecting a desired positioning of side walls I 3| 3 and the bottom l2, produce a.

plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending, pin-advancing ways It. These ribs, contiguous to the discharge end of the table, are provided with upstanding lugs or shoulders H, the latter tion in parallel order of sagger pins deposited at random thereon;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a sagger pin.-

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral l designates the improved vibratory conveying and assorting machine comprising the present invention. The machine consists of a table 2 which is so supported that it may be vibrated by a high frequencyto move materials deposited on the table longitudinally thereof.

being arranged in staggered or oiisetrelationship, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, in order to defiect sa-gger pins moving transversely on the upper edges of said ribs so that the pins will be deposited in the ways H3 in a desired manner.

In the .use of the apparatus, sagger pins, of the type indicated at it, are deposited on the receiving end of the table in a disorderly random manner. Such a group of pins is indicated by the reference character B. By the operation of the motor 9, and consequent vibration of the table 2 at high frequencies, the pins are moved longitudinally along the table from'the receiving end .of the latter to its discharge end. The construction of the ways l6 serves in greater part to cause alignment of the pins so that they all ex- 555 tend longitudinally of the ways l6 by settling into said ways. Sometimes, however, the pins become transversely positioned on the upper edges of the ribs, as indicated by the pin D in Fig. 4. When this occurs, the shoulders H, by reason of their formation and relative positions, engage such a transverse pin and swing it around so that it will rop longitudinally into one of the ways l6. By this construction and operation, the sagger pins discharged from the table will all extend in the same direction and in parallel order with respect to each other.

Sagger pins are formed from heat treated ceramic materials and, as shown in Fig. 5, are substantially triangular in cross sectional configuration. This is done so that the pins will present knife edges in effecting the support of ceramic ware positioned thereon, the knife edges being desired in order to minimize the area of contact between the pins and the ware supported thereby. The pins vary in length, that is to say, the same are made in different sizes, depending upon the uses to which the pins are to be placed, but in manufacturing operations pins of but one size are advanced along the table for any given run. In this manner, the machine may be readily adapted to sagger pins of different size or lengths. Secured to the discharge end of the table 2 is a receiver E9. The latter in this instance, comprises a cup-like member into which the pins discharged from the table 2 are deposited so that the pins extend in parallel order transversely of the receiver. Preferably, the receiver is provided with a curved or arcuate bottom 20, with a stationary vertical end wall 2i and an adjustable opposing end wall 22. The wall 22 is adjustable in order that it may be adapted to sagger pins of different lengths, although, if desired, the receiver 19 may be detachably carried in connection with the end of the conveyor table and of such size as to be adapted for the reception of pins of fixed or given length. It will be noted that the wall 2! is spaced from the discharge edge of the table 2 in order to provide a slot or gap 23. This spacing is such that in the event of breakage of the pins or pins of undesirable short length, such broken pins, or short length pins, will not bridge the gap between the table and the receiver, but will fall through the slot 23 and will thus be automatically rejected from the machine.

In the receiver l9, groups of longitudinally aligned parallel pins are constantly being formed when the machine is in operation. These groups may be manually removed by the machine attendant with the pins of each group in a fixed or desired order. Groups of pins so removed may then be stacked in orderly rows and piles in shipping containers, such as paper board cartons for storage or transportation. The machine operates economically and efficiently in securing the desired alignment of the relatively peculiarly shaped saggerpins so that improved ways of packaging such pins may be used, rather than the mere shipping of the pins in loose bulk form, without reference to position or order, in barrels or other similar containers.

What is claimed is:

1.- Apparatus for handling sagger pins of a predetermined length comprising a table formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending pinpositioning ways, a pin receiver carried by the discharge end of said table, said receiver being spaced from said table to provide a material rejecting gap extending transversely of the apparatus and having a width less and a length greater than the length of the pins to be handled, and means for supporting and vibrating said table and receiver.

2. Apparatus for handling sagger pins of a predetermined length comprising a table, a plurality of longitudinally extending upstanding ribs provided on said table, said ribs being spaced a distance less than the length of the pins to be handled, a receiver provided at the discharge end of said table, the bottom wall and the ribs of said table terminatingin spaced relation from the receiver to provide a pin rejecting gap extending substantially across the entire width of the table, 1

the width of said gap being less than the length of pins to be handled, and means for supporting and vibrating said table.

3. Apparatus for handling sagger pins of a predetermined length comprising a table formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending pinpositioning ways, a pin receiver carried by the discharge end of said table, adjustable wall means provided with said receiver for varying the size thereof to adapt the receiver to pins of different sizes, said receiver being spaced from said table to provide a material rejecting gap extending transversely of the apparatus and having a width less and a length greater than the length of the pins to be handled-and means for supporting and vibrating said table and receiver.

HOWARD S. ORTH. CLAIR R. OBERST. WILLIAM E. CRAMER. 

